Mail-pouch.



N0. 634,773. Patentedflct. I0, 1899.

- T. H. STOKES.

MAIL POUCH.

(Application filed July 8, 1899.)

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES A TTOHNEYS 'TNE mums Prrias cu. momqjmou wnsumoron. a. c.

7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

fold at the mouth having been made.

THOMAS H. STOKES, OF LINCOLN, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-POUCH.

SPECIFIOATIOK forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,773, dated Qctober 10, 1899',

Application filed July 8, 1899. Serial No. 723,156. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, THOMAS H. STOKES, of

Lincoln, in thecounty of'Logan and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Mail-Pouch, of which the following is afull,

clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to providea simple yet effective means for locking the mouth of a mail-pouch by means of a single staple, dispensing with lacing of any description.

A further object of the invention is to provide a label-holder that will be a portion of thefastening device and means whereby the lock will retain the label in, the holder.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, andpointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved pouch, the mouth thereof being in position to be opened to receive matter. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the pouch, the first Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the pouch, the mouth portion having been completely folded and locked. Fig. 4: is a vertical section taken practically on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the staple that is employed in connection with the pouch.

The pouch A may be made of any desired material, and the back 10 at the mouth extends beyond the front 11, as shown in Fig.1. At each side of the back member 10 of the pouch a longitudinal tab is formed, preferablyintegral with the material of the pouch, and the tabs 12 and 13 are each provided with a longitudinal opening 14, as is likewise best shown in Fig. 1. A plate 15, adapted as a locking plate or hasp, is securedto the back mouth member 10 of the pouch at its central portion, and this plate extends down the front and the rearof said member and is provided with a transverse opening 16, that extends through from one member of the plate to the other. At the outer face of the said plate 15 a socket 17 is formed, adapted to receive and hold a label 18, as illustrated particularly in Fig. 3, and a handle 19 for the pouch is secured to the outer surface of the back thereof, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. A staple 20 is located upon the front of the pouch at the center, the staple extending transversely of the pouch, and the said staple is shown provided with longitudinal feet or fastening' prongs 21 and 22, that extend through the front of the pouch to the inside and longitudinally of the pouch in opposite directions, as indicated in dotted linesin Fig. 1 and as shown in Fig. 5. The said feet or prongs of the staple are usually held in position by a binding plate or strip 23, that extends over them and is secured to the inner face of the Anyother means may.

the pouch the corners of said pouch are folded down on the diagonal lines Cb until the two lines a register with the horizontal line a The tabs 12 and 13 will thus be brought one over the other, as shown in Fig. 2, and the staple 20 will extend'out through theopenings 14 in said tabs. The main tab B thus formed at the top of the pouch is then folded down upon the line a and the staple 20 is made to extend outward through the slot 16 in'the locking-plate 15, as illustrated in Fig. 3, whereupon the label 18 will be just above the staple 20, which staple will efiectually prevent the label from leaving its socket, and a padlock 24 or a lock of any other description is passed through the staple, firmly securing the mouth of the pouch in its closed position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A mail-pouch, having its back portion Too projected beyond the front at the mouth of gitudinal tab orificed to receive the staple, a plate bent over the edge of the extended portion of the back and lying at the front and rear thereof and also orificed to receive the staple, the rear side of the plate having a card-socket formed thereon at a point downward from the orifices in the plate and the socket opening at the side adjacent. to the orifice in the plate, and a staple projecting from the front of the pouch nearits month, whereby the corners of the pouch at its mouth may be folded diagonally to engage the tabs with the staple .and the middle portion of the pouch at its mouth folded down over the tabs to receive the staple in the orifices of the plate, the staple thus serving to hold the bag closed and also to retain the card in the socket.

2. A mail-pouch, having its back portion extended beyond the front at its mouth, a

plate bent over the edge of the extended portion of the back and lying at the front and rear thereof and orificed to receive the staple, the rear side of the plate having a card-socket formed thereon at a point downward from the orifice, the socket opening at the side thereof adjacent to the orifices in the plate, and a staple secured to the front of the pouch adjacent to the mouth, whereby the extended back of the pouch may be folded down in front of the pouch to engage the staple in the orifices of the plate, the staple thus serving to hold the bag closed and also to retain the card in the socket.

THOS. H. STOKES.

I Witnesses:

FRANK HOBLIT, FRED W. BECKER. 

